General Ideological Dispositions

Voters tend to have general ideological orientations and dispositions. While
most voters lack a well-articulated and clearly thought-out political ideology, they
usually have some general ideological tendencies or predispositions. Some are strongly
liberal across the board, others are strongly conservative, and still others are political
moderates. Some may tend to be liberal in one area, such as social issues, but conservative
in another, such as economic issues. These general ideological orientations influence
voting (Miller and Shanks 1996, 288-294).

The effect of ideology on the presidential vote occurs for several reasons. Ideology
affects positions on specific issues. For example, voters who are strong conservatives
are likely to take conservative positions on new issues as they arise. Positions on specific
policy issues influence how voters cast their ballots in presidential
elections, so this influence is one path by which ideology affects the vote. Also, voters
may have a general ideological perception of a candidate — even if they are unsure about the
candidate's position on specific policy issues — and this general perception may influence
their vote. Finally, ideology also may influence party identification, which is another
path of influence. In fact, ideology and party identification are more strongly aligned
now than they were just two decades ago (Abramowitz 2010).